đź“° Analyst: OpenAI Developing AI Phone That Could Replace Traditional Apps
Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, known for his accurate predictions on Apple hardware, has released a new report suggesting that OpenAI may be working on a smartphone in collaboration with MediaTek, Qualcomm, and Luxshare.
According to Kuo, OpenAI would develop a smartphone chip jointly with MediaTek and Qualcomm, with Luxshare acting as the co-design and manufacturing partner. This collaboration marks a significant step in OpenAI’s hardware ambitions, extending well beyond previous expectations.
The most striking aspect of the report is its suggestion that instead of relying on traditional apps, the smartphone could use AI agents to complete various tasks. Currently, Apple and Google control the app distribution pipeline and the level of system access apps receive, restricting some of their functions. Kuo suggests that by creating its own smartphone and hardware stack, OpenAI would be able to integrate AI across all features without such restrictions. With ChatGPT nearing a billion weekly active users, a hardware product for daily use could significantly advance OpenAI’s ambition to reach more consumers.
This vision is not unique to OpenAI. Vibe coding app developers have previously predicted a future that doesn’t involve traditional apps. Nothing CEO Carl Pei said at SXSW that apps will eventually disappear.
Kuo believes OpenAI’s smartphone would be designed to continuously understand users’ context. By offering the phone itself rather than just an app, the company could gain access to far more data about user habits. He also said the company will work on a combination of small on-device models and cloud-based models to handle different types of requests and tasks.
The analyst expects the smartphone’s specifications and component suppliers to be finalized by year-end or the first quarter of 2027, with mass production anticipated to begin in 2028.
Earlier this year, OpenAI’s Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane stated that the company is on track to announce its “first hardware product in the second half of 2026.” Multiple reports at the time suggested the device could be a uniquely designed pair of earbuds.
OpenAI did not comment on the story at the time of writing.
Source: TechCrunch - OpenAI could be making a phone with AI agents replacing apps